Knitting-machine.



No. 875,707. PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908. A. V. GROUPE.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

jl IEEIF WITNESSES: MIKE/ TOR No. 875,707. PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

A. V. GROUPE. KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28.1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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WITNESSES w W. xi

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW V. GROUPE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO E. JENCKESMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PAWTUCKET, RI'IODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OFRHODE ISLAND.

KNITTING-MACHIN E Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. '7, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW V. (hours, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to knitting machines, and especially to that classof such machines which is commonly known as the circular type, employedin the manufacture of stockings. Included in machines of this class is acam cylinder provided with suitable knitting camswhich are adapted toact upon the needles to effect the knitting operation.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient needlepicking device whereby the required needles may be moved into and out ofoperative relation to the knitting cams during the knitting of the heeland toe parts of stockings or other fashioning operation.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations ofparts which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings :*Figure 1 is a plan view of the cam cylinder of acircular knitting machine provided with a needle picking deviceembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, as on the line 22 ofFig. 1, including the needle cylinder, one of its needles and the bedplate of the machine. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the needlepicking arms. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail, as on the line -l4 of Fig.2. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail, as on the line 5-5 of Fig. 6 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 5, showing the needle picking arm in a differentposition. Fig. 7 is a development of a portion of the interior of thecam cylinder showing the knitting cams and the position of the notchedinner ends of the needle picking arms during the operation of narrowingthe fabric. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, showing the position ofthe notched inner ends of the needle picking arms during the operationof widening the fabric. Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 7, showing asingle needle picking arm and a suitable mounting therefor. Fig. 10 isan elevation of a needle picking arm and. its support, showing amodified form of the pivotal connections of the arm with the support.Fig. 11 is a sectional view, as on the line 11-11 of Fig. 1.0. Fig. 12is a sectional view, as on the line 12-12 of Fig. 10.

1 designates a portion of the cam cylinder, 3 a portion. of the bedplate in which the cam cylinder is rotatably mounted, 6 the needlecylinder and 7 one of the needles. The cam cylinder is provided with theoppositely arranged stitch cams S and 9, the raising cams 13 and 14, theupper cams 15 and 16 and the central cam 17, whereby, during theactuation of the cam cylinder, the needles are acted upon to effect theknitting operation in the usual well known manner. The construction andoperation of the parts thus far are well known and no detailed description or illustration thereof is deemed necessary herein.

Secured to the cam cylinder 1 is a bracket 18 provided with a verticalguideway 19 to which is fitted a slide or support 20. Thus slide 20 isadapted to be moved vertically to two positions within the guideway 19,a pin 21 projecting fixedly from the slide and out through an opening 2in the bracket 18 being adapted to take against the wall of said openingand limit the movement of the slide in either direction. The slide 20 ismaintained in either the up or down position by a ball 23 arrangedwithin an opening in the bracket 18 and forced toward the slide and intodepressions 24 and 25 therein by the action of a spring 26. When theslide is in the up position, shown in Fig. 2, the ball is seated in thedepression 24; when the slide is in the down position, the ball 23 isseated in the depression 25; and when the slide is moved. to either theup or down position the ball is moved back against the spring 26 by thewall between the depressions 24 and 25.

The slide 20 is provided with two projections 27 and 28 carrying theouter ends of two needle picking arms 29 and 30, respectively, havingtheir free inner ends projecting into the cam cylinder 1. The free endof the upper arm-29 is provided with oppositely disposed needle-engagingnotches adapted to engage certain needles to lower them relative to theknitting cams; and the free end of the lower arm, 30 is provided withoppositely disposed needle-engaging notches adapt-ed to engage certainneedles to raise them relative to the knitting cams.

Projecting fixedly from the outer end of each arm 29- and 30 are twopins 31, 31 and 32, 32, respectively. The pins 31, 31 project upwardlyat right angles to each other and at angles of about forty-five degreesto the vertical; and the pins 32, 32 project downwardly at right anglesto each other and at angles of about forty-five degrees to the vertical.

It may here be remarked that the arms 29 and 30 are alike in everyparticular excepting that they are disposed opposite to each other; thatis to say, the pins 31, 31 of the arm 29 project upwardly while the pins32, 32 of the arm 30 project downwardly, and the vertical wall betweenthe needleengaging notches of the upper arm 29 extends downwardly whilethe vertical wall between the notches of the lower arm 30 extendsupwardly.

The pins 31, 31 and 32, 32 rest normally in the bases of sockets orslots 33, 33 and 34, 3 1, formed in the projections 27 and 28,

. respectively. These sockets or slots are arranged at anglescorresponding to the angles of the pins, and the bases of the slots aremade half round to receive and rotatably support the pins. The socketsor slots '33, 33 and 34, 34 extend from the pins 31, 31 and 32, 32toward the cam cylinder, and the slots are of a width equal to thediameter of the pins, whereby, when one pin is turning about its axis inthe base of its slot, during the movement of its arm, the other orcompanion pin may move through its slot toward the cam cylinder andserve to prevent axial movement of the pin about the axis of which thearm is moving. The pins 31, 31 and 32, 32 are maintained normally seatedin the bases of their sockets and the arms 29 and 30 in the positionshown, by the action of springs 35 and 36 extending between said armsand the projections 27 and 28, respectively, the engagement of the pinswith the bases of their sockets limiting the movement of either armabout the axis of either of its pins. The movement of the arms 29 and 30is also limited by said arms engaging the projections 27 and 28, therebyrelieving the pins of some of the strain.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that each arm 29 and 30has two separated pivotal connections with its support,

and that the axis of said connections are arranged on inclines withrelation to the axis of the cam cylinder. Further, it will be seen thatthe free end of the 'upper arm 29 is movable in downwardly-divergingpaths on its pivotal connections, and that during the turning of the armabout the axis of one of its connections it is prevented from turningabout the axis of the other of its connections;

a and that the free end of the lower arm 30 is s raw? its connections itis prevented from turning about the axis of the other of itsconnections. The inner notched ends of the picker arms 29 and 30 swingoutwardly from within the,

cam cylinder during the movement of said arms on their pivotalconnections, and the operation of the notched end of each arm engagingthe needles and shifting them into or out of operative relation to theknitting cams is well known in this art.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have illustrated by a dotand-dash line the positionof the butts of the active needles and by a two-dot-anddash line theposition of the butts of the inactive needles in passing the notchedends of the arms 29 and 30.

During the ordinary circular knitting, such for example as theproduction of the leg portion of a stocking, the slide 20 is down, inwhich position the notched end of the arm 30 is below the path of thebutts of the needles and they are unafiected thereby. After thecompletion of the leg portion, one half of the circular series ofneedles is moved to the inactive position as is usual and the slide 20is raised to the position shown in Fig. 2. In this position of theslide, the notched end of the arm 29 is above the path of the butts ofthe inactive needles and the notched end of thearm 30 is in the path ofthe butts of the active needles. The cam cylinder is now reciprocated,and during its movement in either direction, the notched end of the arm30 engages the butt of the first needle in its path and moves saidneedle to the inactive position, said arm moving in either directionindicated by the arrows in Fig. 7, according to the direction ofmovement of the cam cylinder. This operation is continued until therequired narrowing of the fabric has been effected. The slide 20 is thenmoved to the down position to bring the notched end of the arm 30 belowthe path of the active needles and to bring the notched end of the arm29 into the path of the inactive needles. The cam cylinder is now againreciprocated, and during its movement in either direction, the notchedend of the arm 29 engages the butt of the first needle in its path andmoves said needle back to the active position, said arm moving in thedirection of either arrow in Fig. 8, according to the direction ofmovement of the cam cylinder. This operation is continued until all theinactive needles are returned to the active position; whereupon the halfof the circular series of needles previously moved out of action arereturned to the active position and the cam cylinder is rotated toeffect the knitting of the foot portion of the stocking, after which thetoe portion is produced similarly to the heel portion, this operation ofmoving certain needles into and out of operative relation to theknitting cams in the manufacture of stockings being common and wellknown in this art.

In Fig. 9 I have shown a single needle picking arm 37 like either of thearms 29 or 30 shown in Fig. 2. This arm 37 is carried by a projection 38on a head 39 which is rotatably mounted in the cam cylinder, theprojection 38 being like either of the projections 27 or 28 shown inFig. 2. When the head 39 is in the position shown in Fig. 9, the notchedend of the arm 37 is in the path of the butts of the active needles tomove them to the inactive position, and when the head 39 is turned ahalf revolution the notched end of the arm 37 is inverted and brought tothe position shown by dotted lines. In this position said notched end isin the path of the inactive needles to return them to the activeposition.

In Figs. 10, 11 and 12 I have shown a modified form of the pivotalconnection of one of the picker arms with its support. Referring tothese figures, 40 designates a support provided with projecting lugs 41and 42 between which is arranged a block 43 which is pivoted to saidlugs on an angle of about forty five degrees to the vertical. The block43 is adapted to move on said pivotal connection in the directionindicated by the full-line arrows in Figs. 10 and 11, a stop 44 on theblock 43 being adapted to take against the support 40 to limit themovement of the block in the reverse direction. Embracing the block 43is the basal end of a needle picking arm 45, said arm being pivotallyconnected to the block on a line intersecting and extendin at rightangles to the pivotal connection oi the block 43 with the support 40.The arm 45 is adapted to move on its pivotal connection with the block43 in the direction indicated by the dotted line arrows in Figs. 10 and12, a stop 46 on the block 43 being adapted to engage the arm 45 tolimit its movement in the reverse direction. Thus it will be seen thatthe horizontal pressure of a against the notched end of the arm 45 inthe opposite direction will cause the arm 45 and block 43 to move as aunit on the pivotal connection of the block 43 with the support 40 inthe direction indicated by the full-line arrow in Fig. 10, the stop 46preventing the movement of the arm 45 about its pivotal connection withthe block 43.

Other modifications may be resorted to without departing from theinvention.

I claim 1. In a knitting machine the combination with the cam cylinder,of a support thereon, and a needle picker having two separate pivotalconnections with said support, the axes of said connections beingarranged on inclines with relation to the axis of the cam cylinder.

2. In a knitting machine, the combination with the cam cylinder, of asupport thereon, and a needle picker having two separate pivotalconnections with said support, the axes of said connections beingarranged on inclines with relation to the axis of the cam cylinder andone of said connections being adapted to turn about the axis of theother of said connections.

3. In a knitting machine, the combination with the cam cylinder, of asupport thereon, a needle picker provided with oppositely disposedneedle engaging portions and having two separate pivotal connectionswith said support, and means to prevent the turning of the picker aboutthe axis of one of its pivotal connections during the turning of thepicker about the axis of its otherpivotal connection.

4. In a knitting machine, the combination with the cam cylinder, of asupport thereon, a needle picker having two separate pivotal connectionswith said support, the axes of said connections being arranged oninclines with relation to the axis of the cam cylinder, and means toprevent the turning of the picker about the axis of one of its pivotalconnections during the turning of the picker about the axis of its otherpivotal connection.

5. In a knitting machine, the combination with the cam cylinder, of asupport thereon, a needle picker carried by the support and movable ineither of two diverging paths, a pivot pin for the picker arranged atright angles to the plane of one of its paths, and a pivot pin for thepicker arranged at right angles to the plane of the other of its paths.

6. In a knitting machine, the combination with the cam cylinder, of asupport thereon provided with two sockets, a needle picker carried bythe support and movable in diverging paths, a pivot pin projecting fromthe picker and arranged within one of said sockets, and a pivot pinprojecting from the picker and arranged within the other of saidsockets.

7. In a knitting machine, the combination with the cam cylinder, ofneedles provided each with a single butt, a needle picker to engage saidneedle butts and move the needles out of operative position, a needlepicker to engage said needle butts and move the needles into operativeposition, and a common adjustable support for said pickers, said supportbeing carried by the cam cylinder, whereby by adjusting said support onepicker may be moved into and the other picker moved out of operativeposition.

In testimony whereof I a'l'lix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

ANDREI/V .V. GROUPE.

WVitnesses:

S. G. DOYLE, H. L. CHEEsnMAN.

